Bill of Damages, 4
June 1839

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

Caldwell County after a Journey of one thousand miles
being 8
weeks on my Journey enduring great affliction in consequence of
persecution &c and expending about two or 3
hundred dollars. Soon after my arrival at that place I was informed that a
number of men living in
Daviess County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Mormon settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest to ...

(on the Grindstone
Forks) had offered the sum of one thousand dollars for my
scalp
persons to whom I was an entire stranger
& of whom I had no knowledge of In order
to attain their end the roads were frequently way laid for &c at
one time in particular when watering my horse in
Shoal Creek

Stream that flows eastward for about forty-five miles from east central Clinton Co. through Caldwell Co. to confluence with Grand River in central Livingston Co. Thousands of Saints moved from Clay Co. to sites along Shoal Creek in Caldwell Co., beginning...

21 Sept. 1802–22 Apr. 1870. Attorney, judge, politician, farmer. Born at Sullivan Co., Tennessee. Son of Walter King and Nancy Sevier. Married first Nancy Harris Roberts, 13 May 1828, at Jackson, Madison Co., Tennessee. In 1830, moved to Missouri, where he...

of the Fifth Judicial Circuit gave
encouragement to individuals to carry into effect their diabolical designs
and has frequently stated that I ought to be beheaded on account of
my Religion: In consequence of such expressions from
Judge King

21 Sept. 1802–22 Apr. 1870. Attorney, judge, politician, farmer. Born at Sullivan Co., Tennessee. Son of Walter King and Nancy Sevier. Married first Nancy Harris Roberts, 13 May 1828, at Jackson, Madison Co., Tennessee. In 1830, moved to Missouri, where he...

and others in authority my
enemies endeavoured to take every advantage of me and heaping abuses
getting up vexatious law suits and stirring up the minds of the
people against me and the people with whom I was connected altho we had
done nothing to deserve such treatment but were busely engagd in our
several avocations & desireous to live on peaceable & Friendly
terms with all men. In consequence of such
threats and abuse which was
I was continually subject to my Family were kept in continual state
of alarm not knowing [p. [1]]

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

Caldwell County after a Journey of one thousand miles
being 8
weeks on my Journey enduring great affliction in consequence of
persecution &c and expending about two <or 3>
hundred dollars. Soon after my arrival at that place I was informed that a
number of men living in
Daviess County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Mormon settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest to ...

(on the Grindstone
Forks) had offered the sum of one thousand dollars for my
scalp
persons to whom I was an entire strange[r]
& of whom I had no knowledge of the In order
to attain their end the roads were frequently way laid for &c at
one time in particular when watering my horse in
Shoal Creek

Stream that flows eastward for about forty-five miles from east central Clinton Co. through Caldwell Co. to confluence with Grand River in central Livingston Co. Thousands of Saints moved from Clay Co. to sites along Shoal Creek in Caldwell Co., beginning...

21 Sept. 1802–22 Apr. 1870. Attorney, judge, politician, farmer. Born at Sullivan Co., Tennessee. Son of Walter King and Nancy Sevier. Married first Nancy Harris Roberts, 13 May 1828, at Jackson, Madison Co., Tennessee. In 1830, moved to Missouri, where he...

of the Fifth Judicia[l] Circuit gave
encouragement to individuals to carry into effect their diabolical designs
and has frequently stated that I ought to be beheaded on account of
my Religion: In consequence of such expressions from
Judge King

21 Sept. 1802–22 Apr. 1870. Attorney, judge, politician, farmer. Born at Sullivan Co., Tennessee. Son of Walter King and Nancy Sevier. Married first Nancy Harris Roberts, 13 May 1828, at Jackson, Madison Co., Tennessee. In 1830, moved to Missouri, where he...

and others in authority my
enemies endeavoured to take every advantage of me and heaping abuses
getting up vexatious law suits and stirring up the minds of the
people against me and the people with whom I was connected altho we had
done nothing to deserve such treatment but were busely engagd in our
several avocations & desireous to live on peaceable & Friendly
terms with all men. In consequence of such
threats and abuse which was
I was continually subject to my Family were kept in continual state
of alarm not knowing [p. [1]]

JS’s “Bill of Damages” was drafted as a petition
to the federal government for redress following his six-month incarceration in
the aftermath of the 1838 Missouri War. The bill
includes an account of significant episodes during the
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

conflict and a record of JS’s
personal losses and sufferings. The narrative portion begins with the siege of
De
Witt

Located on bluffs north of Missouri River, about six miles above mouth of Grand River. Permanently settled, by 1826. Laid out, 1836. First called Elderport; name changed to De Witt, 1837, when town acquired by speculators David Thomas and Henry Root, who ...

and culminated with JS’s escape in Missouri on
16 April 1839 and arrival in
Quincy

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

Located in western Missouri, thirteen miles north of Independence. Settled 1820. Clay Co. seat, 1822. Incorporated as town, May 1829. Following expulsion from Jackson Co., 1833, many Latter-day Saints found refuge in Clay Co., with church leaders and other...

,
Missouri, to the Saints instructing them to document “all the facts and
suffering and abuses put upon them by the people of this
state

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

and also of all the property and amount
of damages which they have sustained.” (JS et al., Liberty MO, to the church
and Edward Partridge, Quincy, IL, 20 Mar. 1839.) Following his own counsel, JS
created the record of his Missouri losses on 4 June
1839, just a month and a half after his escape from custody.
Robert B. Thompson

1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Member of Methodist church. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into LDS church by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by John Taylor, 22...

, JS’s recently appointed
clerk, acted as scribe for the document. It became the basis for the “Extract, from the Private
Journal of Joseph Smith, Jr.,” first published in
July 1839 in the Times and
Seasons. (“Extract, from the Private Journal of Joseph Smith, Jr.,”
Times and Seasons, July 1839, 1:2–9.)

Interestingly, the historical narrative recorded in the “Bill of
Damages” bridges the chronological gap between
JS’s last
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

journal. The last entry in JS’s September–October 1838 journal is
5 October 1838. On that date, JS left
Far
West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

Located on bluffs north of Missouri River, about six miles above mouth of Grand River. Permanently settled, by 1826. Laid out, 1836. First called Elderport; name changed to De Witt, 1837, when town acquired by speculators David Thomas and Henry Root, who ...

. JS’s “Bill of Damages” begins with the De Witt siege. The narrative
portion of the bill ends with JS’s arrival in
Quincy

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

, Illinois, on
22 April 1839; the first two entries in JS’s
1839 journal take up his record again at precisely
that point. (See JS, Journal, 5 Oct. 1838 and 16 Apr. 1839, in
JSP, J1:330, 336.)

The published “Extract,” which was largely based on the “Bill of
Damages,” was disseminated to the Saints throughout the
nation

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

via newspaper. The document helped
shape the Saints’ memory of the persecution in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

and their pattern for rehearsing it.
As part of
JS’s effort to gain sympathy in the court of
public opinion, the “Extract” contributed to the church’s campaign seeking
redress for grievances suffered in Missouri.

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Member of Methodist church. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into LDS church by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by John Taylor, 22...